Dr. Dukuly,

Thank you for such a brilliant article dated 11/24/2006, “Africa between China and the West: The New War of Influence” on your famous Website, www.theperspective.org. You literally touched on the nexus of imperialism and its inducement agents that continue to deplete Africa into miserable poverty. Great Job!!

Each time I read masterful article such as yours, I wonder whether African leaders are reading and acting on these revelations. It seems like African leaders are always fighting to stand in queue to meet Western's criteria in order to be a part of an exclusive club. By during so, I believe, legitimizes their Foreign policy agenda. It is just as shameful then and embarrassing now, my brother for our leaders to have compass that points either to the West or East. Unless our leaders can cultivate strategic Foreign policies that focus on national interests and not self-aggrandizement, we are luxury distance away from nation's pride and self-reliance. This leads me to say that whether we turn our back to America and point our arrow to China, Latin America, Greenland, etc it is not sufficed to fix our enormous problems. We are our own catch-22; therefore, we must fix it ourselves!

Just to inform you, I remembered vividly few years back on CPAN, a Jewish scholar once said, "The black race has proven by its actions and deeds of being an inferior race..." Sounds controversial and debatable? You betcha my brother! This scholar went on to chronologically quantify historical pattern of the black race being continuously unable to sustain itself. My brother, even though I do not subscribe to such relegating perspective, I must admit that history and the present do not put us in a comfortable definitive stance. We could go on enumerating first inventions of the black race but at the end of the day, it is the rule of law supplemented by economic power that is lagging the black race behind the "White race."

Amazingly in the 21st century, African leaders continue to fall prey to those colonial policies that are chocked-full of obscurity and meaningless criteria & demands. Is it because dependency syndrome has become an inherent tendency? Or what? As you rightly stated in your article, one advantage that we tenaciously lack of is nationalism. How do we embolden or teach nationalism? Where do we start from? Or what policy/ies entice (s) nationalism? For a nation, I strongly believe that nationalism breeds nation's pride, honesty (an incorruptible society/significantly decrease corruption) and self-reliance.

To curtail some of the stereotypes of the black race, it will require the "National/Continental Will" of our leaders to seek a proactive strategy that is capable of emancipating the mindset of the black race, concentrate on developing strategic objectives, create an environment for peace and stability, utilize our human capital to the fullest and strengthen the economic power of its people. Failure to do so, it is sheer bluff to find new international partners. My brother, every nation puts its interest first…point blank and China is no different! As you are aware, the Chinese are entering into a Superpower competition with the US; therefore, they are strategically customizing development packages for countries that are willing to ration its mineral resources to the highest bidder. Consequently, seeking new direction towards China only exacerbate an inherent tendency of dependency syndrome, which beclouds creativity and utilization of our finest human capital and abundant mineral resources. As for the US, the Superpower in modern time, they have shifted and tailored, after the cold war, their Foreign policy agenda to their likings and not what the Third World would want. Call it complacency…that is the new trend.

In conclusion, the war of influence between China and the West is "The" new phase of foreign policy in the 21st Century. Africa has a great opportunity to compete or continue on its inferior trail to search for aids.

Thanks,

Arthur Zakama, Jr.
President of Lofa Association in Minnesota

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